Domain Dojo - Brand Selection Poll

Why why why would you want to miss out on any and EVERY opportunity to interact with potential end users. There are locations where domainers will be with domainers 24 hours a day .. you're saying having an entrepreneur come in for an hour to ask questions about domains and branding is going to be a negative .. when that end user might actually BUY a domain ?!?

Limiting the types of people you surround yourselves with is exactly the opposite of what's being trying to be done here! Anyhow .. I think we'll just have to agree to disagree .. but it's really insane to pass on opportunities to help grow the only pie that counts for domainers .. which is the End User Pie!

 

As I said earlier perhaps you need to start a new thread to see what everyone else thinks about this idea, maybe put a poll to see how many people agree with you. I am sure that there is a way to make the pie bigger for everyone, we just have to find the right way to do it.

IMO

 

Digital nomads and domain name investors have been working remotely for well over a decade already. The attraction to working from anywhere in the world, or even, anywhere within your country is steadily growing in popularity (I broke free from the chains over 2 decades ago). With more robots/AI/Machines taking jobs each year (E.g. self service/checkout/order/etc.), the online workforce is only going to expand, into new job opportunities and markets that allow for remote work and living to become more of a commonality than before.

As you mentioned, there are hubs or co-work spaces all over the world now providing high speed internet access to nomads passing through. Some, even provide physical office space addresses to receive mail, license a business, and more!

Your Dojo idea isn't new, by any means, however, it caters to a specific niche market (Domain investors), which most the pre-existing co-work spaces are very generalized and cater to anyone in need of a space to work out of.

If we couple your traditional co-work spaces and turn them into a hybrid co-work space + bed & breakfast (wrapped into one burrito), it changes things even more. Over night, short-term, and long-term opportunities and revenue streams emerge that help all different types of digital nomads accomplish what they need for their unique lifestyle.

At the end of the day, with the saturation of co-work spaces already out there, it really boils down to what makes you different from all the rest. The unique traits, branding, services, features, etc. that have you standing out in the crowd and everyone talking about it.

Have you compiled a list of things yet that would accomplish the above?

 

Thanks Eric.

As you might imagine, I have barely begun to think through the logistics of a network of Dojos. That said, I can see it coming into view and trust that the right people with the right talents will come together to test the hypothesis, and then scale it if it works.

Operationally, because I don't come from the lodging/hospitality world, my plan would be to partner with people who are good at standing up and operating Dojos and could help create a brand around a set of user experiences and workflows that would make it easy to navigate across a network of Dojos in a way that is frictionless, e.g. unified payment systems, booking engines, messaging, etc. This actually aligns with the planned rollout of Toki servers around the world which also has a unified but decentralized framework for identity and payment.

Funny enough, the domain name Dojoville.com, which is polling well, was actually my own hand registration. Why? I was thinking that if Jimmy Buffet can create a brand around Margaritaville, then I should be able to create a brand around a network of Dojos. The "ville" part was about extending the user experience to being some kind of community experience where there is some sense of being part of something larger than yourself without losing yourself. This is also why I talk a lot about co-creating, where you can contribute to an idea, or advance an agenda, without sacrificing personal sovereignty.

As you can probably sense, we are moving at blazing speed, and are very happy to work with anyone who wants to help. It helps to be the kind of guy who wants to lift people up without worrying too much about who makes money or who gets credit. And since you have apparently stepped down as Moderator of NamePros this week, I assume that you are in the process of fully answering some calling. If so, good for you, even though you leave big shoes to fill at NP. PM me if you want details or want to synch a call.

 

I think DojoVille is the only viable name on this list. Don't second guess yourself, Rob.

 

Well, if that one wins, we'll still pay out some account credit to our finalists. Let's see what happens. The collective input from this thread is really the payoff, e.g. the inspired comments of Eric Lyon above, who I think is just getting warmed up, if you saw his post here. So, whoever is inspired to comment about how to make the Domainer Dojo concept happen, have at it!

 

Voted for Domunity,Since it may be something like community
Just my opinion
Regards
DpakH

 

I like it as a brand for a Dojo .. but as I've stated .. I'd really like to see some options containing "brand/branding" .. otherwise "name/naming" or even "domain/domaining/domainer" is starting to grow on me a bit more. Of the ones there, I think NameNirvana probably ticks the most checkmarks for me .. but again .. would like to see "Brand" options.

I think maybe it's getting a little too far ahead of things starting a naming contest before getting the specifics covered.

Because in the end if you want physical locations, then I seriously doubt you'd be able to cover a full year with just domainers .. in which case "Dojoville" would indeed be a good choice since it will not be domain/branding focused (probably even the best choice if it's to be generic and non-branding and non-domainer focused).

I think starting off building/buying physical properties might be getting a bit too far ahead of the game. Honestly .. for something like this you'd need to go out and do some actual market research to figure out exactly what kinds of numbers would participate.

You might want to consider starting out with "virtual" dojos. Essentially make agreements with existing co-location lodging set-ups .. see if you can even get 5+ domainers at a time in any one location. I think it could be a challenge at scale remembering that there are 365 days a year to otherwise fill your "physical hotel" at even the minimum sustainable/profitable vacancy rates rates.

Doing it virtually it could also start in non-static locations. Meaning that while you try to grow interest and demand, the "virtual dojo" (community of 5+ domainers could move around to different locations .. every few weeks or months changing to a new location). Then once the numbers start to firm up .. only then look for a candidate for the first permanent location.

From there you'd also likely have regulars/permanent travellers .. and surely one of those would likely be a good candidate to take on more of a management role of the first permanent location. (Otherwise doing it like this you'd still have a lot of time to find someone .. so no rush to find your first "hotel manager"). I suppose you might want to find a responsible "leader" at the start though .. more just to coordinate with the different domainer travellers and the upcoming locations.


I'm obviously also really really adamant on the idea of attracting end-users to visit and consult with domainers for the multiple reasons I already mentioned (please read my earlier posts). Pretty much all cities have local business development offices .. I think it would be very smart to talk with them about having the domainers offer branding workshops/consultations to entrepreneurs both new and old (once or twice a week even). Again .. these are going to be locations where domainers hang out all day anyways .. so to not use the opportunity to be inviting to potential end-users would be such a huge waste.

That's where the domain course (I forget what it' s called) could come into play. Basically domainers could give a brief crash course based on that actual content .. doesn't need to be the full thing (end users don't need to know the mechanics of the various marketplaces for example) .. and then after that the entrepreneurs and domainers just mingle and brainstorm as is supposed to be done in co-workplace environments. Hopefully generate a few sales ... but certainly grow contacts and awareness in the domain industry and educate on the value of a domain name.

 

Rob, Dojoville.com is a great choice, perhaps you can make it your main brand and still use a few of the other domains as sub brands for targeting specific groups.

IMO

 

NamePros.com by itself is a cool Domain Dojo

It is the people, interaction, knowledge sharing and collaborative opportunities that makes it special.

Domaining, I feel is part-time activity for most people. Most domaining activities - domain search, auctions, outbound, inquiries, sales and transactions happen online. For a physical domain dojo to be successful and sustainable over a period of time, it needs to bring in some real value addition and reason for people to hangout in physical presence. Now that's what probably needs to be brainstormed first. What is the pain
point ? What is the problem we are addressing ? What are we trying to achieve in a Domain Dojo. How is a physical DomainDojo solving the problem ?

I am sure there may be some real use-cases. The key is to figure them out.

- Leopard

 

Sigh .. it's very clear you don't live in Canada in Winter! lol

Read my earlier posts in this very discussion .. I'd like to see it being inviting to potential end users to come mingle, brainstorm and seek advice from domainers .. hopefully even spurs a few sales .. otherwise at the very least grow the general awareness of how buying a quality domain can save you money in the long run compared to a handreg!

 

All great points.

Exactly why I thought DojoVille was the best; It'll be tough to fill slots with only domainers while a missed opportunity by leaving others out.

I'm going to tack on and step on Ategy's heels a little bit.

This is how I see DojoVille:

Domaining goes hand-in-hand with many industries. Marketing, media, branding, sales, you name it. While focus can be on domains, I think it would benefit to have an "all-inclusive" program. Weave domaining and it's benefits into all industries.

I'm familiar with Dojo Bali for their speakers pertaining to bootstrapped and scrappy startups. But they have speakers from different backgrounds and niches — and so should DojoVille — it all comes full circle.

Dojos are travelers and remote workers, DojoVille could be their "grounding." They need a place (virtual and physical) that feels like their place anywhere they are — with like-minded people.

I see the physical locations being a combo of Airbnb and WeWork with workshops, conferences and getaways in the mix. Live video feeds in common areas during all operating hours, view-able on the website are a must for these people.

Start virtual and seed a helpful community (I think this venture would be big on community). Use this to see what locations your Dojos are from and willing to visit. Reach out to the Dojo Balis/WeWorks of the world and work with them on meetups and mixers, absorbing members and the venues themselves as you go.

I see money in corporate getaways. Companies can send their teams to DojoVille for a week long refresher — meditating, meeting industry elites, learning new "domain" knowledge to bring back, etc. This is one of the bets going around with VCs and Angels (corporate team refreshers).

DojoVille feels like something. It's extremely easy to scale, brand, and put a feeling to it.

"You're going to DojoVille!"


@Rob Monster , I think you should connect with Pieter Levels (spoke at Dojo Bali years ago). Pieter created NomadList.com (among many many others) and has ridiculous amounts of data (cost of living, internet speed, crime rate, you name it) on locations/nomading and has traveled every inch of the world, and this space. His knowledge and network could fill any holes. He has notorious push in the community, active on Twitter (@levelsio).https://www.crunchbase.com/person/pieter-levels#section-overview

 

Good input .

"Congratulations -- You're going to DojoVille!"

That does sound enticing.

I am very familiar with NomadList.com. I linked to it above. I got to know about it while hanging out with some veteran nomads in Las Palmas.

I don't know Pieter. I just followed him here:

https://twitter.com/levelsio

I will PM you on this topic.

 

Agree with you @Ategy.com, NameNirvana checks most boxes, but sounds too generic\dull\boring. What if we were to spruce it up with a cool\hip brandable like Namervana. Hahaha, sorry to hijack your feedback to plug-in my new submission but could not help it

Have some late entrants here [all in .com]:

1. Namervana

• Name + Nirvana
• Also sounds like a hangout spot or mecca for Namers\Domainers
• Has the tranquility of Nirvana but also an allure of Mytique to it. Hearing it for the first time you might think its something to do with names\namers but would definitely want to know more about it: like "Sounds interesting, wonder what's it about"
• Hip\Cool\Brandable

2. Namorable

• Memorable Names = Name + Memorable = Namorable

3. NameJoust

• If we want to have a healthy dose of competition amongst the co-working domainers … but yeah, probably more suited for sites that offer Brand Name brainstorming via open contests like Squad Help

So really just one submission, No. 1 … 2 and 3 are ok too but might not be best fit unless someone sees something I am missing.

Also one last, final, ultimate shout-out for my old submission Liwodo.com (Live Work Domains)

Sounds like a tribe name, but that might actually work here .. We are the Liwodo Tribe, we Live Work Domains, lol

Signing-off,
Crypto

 

@Ategy.com You have some valuable insights across your posts.

But, there is a huge difference between a pain-point and a cool feature. A Dojo focused just on domaining is more like a cool thing than addressing a real problem at this point.

Pain-point is a real problem that end-users or domainers are facing. Something for which there is no good tangible solution. My intention here is to brainstorm and see if a physical Dojo can solve a real problem and generate sustainable income for Epik to operate it. Not just meet some end-users, who already have a ton of resources online like name generators, articles, naming competition platforms (SH) and marketplaces like Brandbucket, Afternic, etc.

A few end-users walking in to interact with domainers is not sustainable for Epik or domainers to keep hanging out.

@Rob Monster : For starters you can try something along the lines of MeetUp.com. May be you sponsor or organize domainer meet ups. See what kind of interaction and opportunities come out of it, rather than invest in a physical location. It can be good MVP (minimum viable product) to test your use-cases.

- Leopard

 

the problem with dojoville, is when you say it out loud and fast - it sounds like dodo ville (as in the extinct birds)

 

Thanks Leopard.

In some of these markets, Epik is already hiring teams of both country managers and brand ambassadors, e.g. 6 B regional Brand Ambassadors in Nigeria who will initially be from the same region even though their family connections are from their indicated regions.

In addition, the scale-up of so-called Toki Mayors is also starting to happen. You can see an early look at the recruitment workflow that is built on commercial tools here:

http://mayor.ng.toki.com/

The "Mayors" are people who host Toki servers. If you don't know what those are, they are full blown content delivery servers that can be deployed for under $100 each and give free WiFi to up to 500 people within an extended range. It is built on a Linux distro developed in-house. Crude preview here:

https://us.tv/videos/watch/970e088e-758d-40cc-b56a-45dee8614a0f

In the meantime, I believe they are already on the hunt for a cool venue which then becomes the starting point of a Nigerian Dojo while providing company-sponsored housing for a team that will work there from time to time. The point is that venue then becomes open to visitors.

I do need the guys to find the nicest beach town in Nigeria. There are actually many, not just Landmark beach in Lagos. I am confident they are up to the task. We can then bring the Mayors in from around the country for some training and team-building. And of course expats can hang out there too.

Keep in mind that we can rapidly do the same in Indonesia and Vietnam etc.

Also, keep in mind, Frank Schilling with his sweet digs in the Caymans could do this too. He could have a Dojo in the Caymans. I doubt he will do it, but the invitation is absolutely there, since this is not about any single provider. This is about making domaining cool, while making the pie bigger!

Are we having fun yet?

 

Cool Rob. Seem they can cater to multiple Epik initiatives. Fun to create a decentralized organization across geographies.

Wish you and Epik success with these ventures.

Regards
Leopard

 

Agree on both counts I must say. I have only heard dojo in reference to martial arts before now.
And while collab.org is certainly the best generic domain in that list I couldn't vote for it for this purpose. A .org doesn't seem right and I think that particular domain would have some other awesome possible uses.

 

@Randolph .. I don't necessarily disagree with you .. but if the goal here isn't to ultimately end up with something for domainers and help them grow, and instead just be a part of something bigger that includes one small part domains .. then what are we doing here as domainers? I mean .. just go to an existing dojo?

I totally agree with the numbers concern .. which is why I thought best to not even start with hard/set locations.

Anyhow .. what you talk about sounds great .. but again .. then no need for us to really do anything here .. let's just all go to something a place that already exists .. talk to the owner about maybe adding a bit about domains.

I'm not even saying that in a bad way .. it's a choice (and in all honesty .. it makes sense) .. but that choice pretty much ends our project here. In all honesty .. a domainer probably would have more success being surrounded by non-domainers, and instead more start-up focused entrepreneurs. Less domainer competition .. more potential buyers.


@Crypto2020 .. as far as I know submissions are closed .. @Rob Monster .. care to clarify?


@urlurl .. DodoVille would still be cool .. possibly even cooler!


@Leopard .. The #1 pain-point of most domainers is not selling enough domains! lol ... And i'll have to disagree with you on "Not just meet some end-users, who already have a ton of resources online" ... many people can't be bothered jumping through the hoops of all those services .. they want basic information given by a human and then the ability to ask questions or get quick individualised help. Agreed though .. there is no denying those others things also have a market .. but one does not exclude the other .. in fact .. I'd say personalised in person communications is vastly more meaningful and helpful than anything anyone could get at BB or SH.

It most certainly does not just have to be about that .. the only reason I kept bringing up that as point was to try to make sure the brand name kept that aspect incorporated. It in no way precluded finding/doing tons of other things for domainers.

It's not about sustainability .. in theory these travelling domainers already quit their local/home jobs .. they're on the road to be travelling domainers .. they will be paying for their room and board (as far as I know) ... NOBODY should embark on such a journey/adventure unless they are ALREADY profitable domainers! Otherwise those that are newer and not profitable yet most certainly could benefit from learning from others in that environment while on a short vacation .. but I strongly advise no one pack up and leave their current settings/jobs, unless they have an established record of domain sales with enough consistency to ensure being able to pay for their adventure in the long term.

That said .. I think another point of these locations is to include and help local domainers. Being around successful domainers would definitely be beneficial to them (and in turn Epik if they become more active domainers with growing portfolios)

What I'm talking about in terms of getting end users to come is not about helping domainers survive .. it's about helping them make MORE money above what they should already be making.

I'm just saying the domainers are going to be there .. simply have an open door policy to anyone curious about domains .. particularly entrepreneurs who are looking for one on one advice/help in getting a domain for their next big idea. Better yet .. have a name over the door that makes doing so inviting to them. The alternative is simply keeping the door closed to outsiders as mentioned by @oldtimer .. which I just don't get?

And again .. definitely do as you're saying and identify other potential pain-points as you say. I'm just talking about one thing that could help bring domainers more money as well as enhances awareness to the value of good domains .. it in no way means everything else everyone is suggesting can't be done as well. Seriously .. let's do as much as possible!

 

@Rob Monster , looks like you are on your way to make domaining history,

 

@Ategy.com, I thought Rob already clarified that he has left the poll open-ended in his earlier post?

My sincere apologies if I have read that post wrong.

Crypto!

 

I had my submission which couldn't make to final poll was DojoCruise.com .

 

No need to apologise .. I invited @Rob Monster to clarify specifically because I wasn't 100% sure myself!
I though he just added a few he forgot from his original list .. haven't heard of him adding any new ones.

 

In my opinion, DojoVille. is not bad, I think ville is french word meaning for city or town.. so it's something Dojo + city or town etc..

Also pronouncing 'ville' may not be easily understandable to all section of world when we pronounce in the air ville.. when we pronounce ville it can be heard as Villa or vile etc..